In 2020, 36 journalists and editors at Al Jazeera were subjected to a series of attacks using Pegasus, an Israeli-developed spyware. What makes this spyware dangerous, according to Al Jazeera, is that it offers Zero-Click attacks. This means that the hack was possible without the user taking any actions, such as opening infected links.
The attackers broke into Al Jazeera journalists’ phones and had access to their cameras, microphones, locations, and stored credentials, according to Citizen Lab. One journalist suspected his phone was hacked, so he connected with Citizen Lab researchers to monitor it, and they found unusual activity. Citizen Lab researchers then connected with other affected journalists as well, and they managed to identify four operators who participated in the attacks: MONARCHY, SNEAKY KESTREL, CENTER-1, and CENTER-2.
On the morning of 24 May 2017, the Qatar News Agency (QNA) was attacked by unknown hackers. The hack fabricated statements attributed to His Highness the Amir. These statements caused a crisis and harmed Qatar’s diplomacy, leading several countries in the region to cut ties with Qatar.
According to the Qatari Government Communication Office, the hackers exploited a vulnerability in the QNA website. The attackers used it to collect emails and passwords and gain full control over the agency. Just 20 minutes before the attack, QNA recorded a surge of visitors from various countries. A few minutes after the hack, the website went out of service.
The attack was investigated by the State of Qatar with the involvement of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the British National Crime Agency (NCA).